


Nine Months and Twenty-Three Days

by sperrywink



Category: Bandom, Fall Out Boy
Genre: Anniversary, Introspection, M/M, Roses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-17
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-03-13 12:21:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3381329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sperrywink/pseuds/sperrywink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For prompt 13:</p>
<p>Patrick/Pete, In the end, I'd do it all again<br/>Gabe/Ianto Jones, stranded in time/a time bubble</p>
            </blockquote>





	Nine Months and Twenty-Three Days

Pete wouldn’t have believed it before, but in the end he would do it all again to be where he is now. Oh, he would feel differently if he didn’t have Patrick and the band again, but he had both, and it was a miracle worth all the pain and loneliness it had taken to get here. Okay, and maybe developing some humility had helped him get here too. At least Patrick claimed it was what had turned him around on accepting Pete’s advances.

And he _was_ more humble and grateful. He didn’t have a problem admitting it. Before he had thought everything was his due, and his to throw away, and then the band broke up despite his fervent pleas, and he realized that not only was it all ephemeral, it also wasn’t just his decision. There were three other guys in the band with wants and needs of their own that they were going to act on, whether they matched what Pete wanted or not. The same for his marriage, it wasn’t just his wishes that mattered. He would have made it work, otherwise.

Pete did feel stupid for not having this realization until he was in his thirties and had lost everything, but he had never claimed to be emotionally savant. In point of fact, he had written many a song about how he was the exact opposite. So the long, lonely years where Patrick pursued his solo album, and Andy and Joe pursued heavy metal, and Ashlee was just gone, were dark days for Pete, even with Black Cards. He was too wary to put his soul into it the way he did Fall Out Boy, and too burned out on love to try for something permanent.

But he let all of them grow apart, and he grew up. So when after a year or so he saw Patrick again, or Andy or Joe, he wished them success, and told them how good their stuff was. He meant every word, and he tried to imbue the words with as much sincerity as possible, while hiding the lingering resentment that he couldn’t help but feel. He reminded himself over and over, at least they were talking to him again, particularly Patrick. He had thought he had burned that bridge and then salted the remains with the screaming matches before the band broke up. 

So he was grateful, so much.

Particularly when it worked like the old saying said: Let the ones you love fly free, and if they come back it was meant to be. Because not only did the band come together again, Patrick flew back right into his palm with kisses and cuddles like they had never managed before. Pete had tried to entice Patrick, but previously Patrick wouldn’t give him the time of day. Apparently when Patrick had said, “Grow up, Pete,” he hadn’t meant “Go away,” he had meant, “Grow up, Pete, so we can be together.” It was a revelation to Pete.

He had thought Patrick was being unreasonable before, but now he could admit Patrick had always been the smarter one. Pete couldn’t have managed this level of selflessness before. And love built on anything else wasn’t worth the time or frustration.

So now it was time for Pete to show his thanks to Patrick for not giving up on him. He had considered many grand gestures, each idea wilder than the next, but in the end he knew none of them would appeal to Patrick, and so cast them aside, if reluctantly. The elephant holding out a rose while a mariachi band playing in the background was too much gold to give up completely.

But for now, Pete just set up a quiet dinner in their New York City hotel. Patrick had later interviews than Pete did, so it worked out perfectly. He checked his watch, and readjusted the roses in the vase. He then got the text message from security that Patrick was twenty minutes out, so Pete arranged to have dinner delivered in an hour. That would give Patrick time to change, and take a shower. He always complained after a day of interviews that the lights made him sweat like anything. Pete was already in a tuxedo, since he was still a ‘go big or go home’ kind of guy.

As Patrick came in with a flurry of guitar and apologies, Pete picked up one of the roses. 

Patrick said, “I’m sorry I’m late! Signing everything at Z100 took forever, and was a pain.” He dropped the guitar case by the door, and was then breezing past Pete, headed for the bathroom. Pete let the rose dip a bit, but then Patrick was doubling back, so he lifted it upright again, and put a big grin on his face. Patrick said, “Oh my god, that’s your ‘I’m not sorry’ face. What did you do? Why are you wearing a tux?”

Pete marveled for a second that Patrick categorized his smiles, but then he was indignant. “Hey! This is not my ‘I’m not sorry’ face, this is my ‘I love you’ face!”

“Pete…”

“No, seriously, I totally did nothing wrong. I planned something awesome for our nine month and twenty-three day anniversary.”

Patrick rubbed his eyes. “That isn’t a real anniversary.”

“That’s what Hallmark wants you to think.” Pete then waggled the flower and held it out to Patrick. When Patrick took it with only a slight hesitation, he figured he was getting somewhere. “Dinner is on its way. Go get freshened up, okay?”

“There’s not a tux waiting in the bathroom for me, is there?”

“Nope. This is all for you. You can wear whatever you want . We’re not leaving the room.”

Patrick gave him a searching look, and then his shoulders relaxed. His grin was uncertain, but he looked willing to indulge Pete, which was all Pete asked most days. Patrick pecked him on the mouth, and whispered against his lips, “Are we going to be celebrating every year and nine months and twenty-three days?”

“God, I hope so. For years to come.”

“Sounds like something I can get used to.” Patrick grinned at him, and Pete winked back. Selfless was definitely the way to go.


End file.
